The Maltese Falcon - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Maltese Falcon



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Remakes are a staple of Hollywood whether we like it or not. Many of the “classic” films that we’ve known and loved for years have been remakes. Ben Hur with Heston was a remake of a 1930s film. 12 Monkeys was a remake, and even The Fly with Cronenberg was a well known remake. Sometimes the remakes are actually better than the original (like the ones mentioned above), and Humphrey Bogart’s famous The Maltese Falcon is no exception to that. Originally based off of Dashiell Hammett’s book of the same name, it spent YEARS in development hell only to get shafted multiple times. There was a 1931 version that was a less adherent to the tough “hardboiled detective Sam Spade” than in Hammett’s book, and was subsequently panned by critics and audiences alike. However, some years later John Huston’s version came out and took the viewers by storm.

Rough, hard, and tough as a boiled owl, Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade, private eye extraordinaire. If he cant’ do it no one can (ra ra ra!!!). He’s the walking embodiment of every old time 1940s radio show detective rolled into one, and it always starts with a dame walking in one rainy night (well, maybe not raining here). In this case the dame is Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor) who hires Sam and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) to tail someone she claims is dangerous. Already suspecting that there is more than her than meets the eye, Sam and Miles agree to the job, only for Archer to get murdered in the line of duty. What happens next is a twisted and convoluted murder mystery that puts Spade in contact with three different crime syndicates (with Peter Lorre playing an iconic role here) as they all rush to find a prized artifact known as the Maltese Falcon.

Albeit a bit less convoluted than other Noir esque films, John Huston’s flick is a twist a minute slow burner, with multiple villains and angles that takes a good amount of time to unpack by the end. It’s a fascinating watch on how everyone involved has an angle, and each one willing to stab the other in the back to get what they want. The power of greed and avarice above all else in a sense. While Huston is a bit more restrained than the 1931 film, he still hints pretty heavily at the sexuality of both Wilmer and Cairo, basically flaunting their proclivities in the faces of a heavily conservative (about this subject) 1940s audience. Today it may seem almost like they were beating about the bush, but back then it was almost dropping it in the audiences faces. Fascinating to watch, yet so subtly done in many ways that it creates a weird dichotomy in terms of heroes, villains, and vices all at once.

Eric Lax mentions in the commentary just how much of a group effort was involved in the creation of The Maltese Falcon, and it really does shine on screen. Every cog in the proverbial wheel was in tune to create the best that they could, with Bogart front and center with Mary Astor, but also Warner Brothers suits working behind the scenes to pick up some incredibly talented bit roles, and the massive publicity blitz that went along with the film’s releases. It’s over 80 years old, but The Maltese Falcon still manages to be a shining example of hardboiled gumshoe detective story telling at its finest, with Bogart at the peak of his career.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

The aging master on the 2010 Blu-ray was always considered really good back in the day, but nowadays I’d mark it down a good half star to 3.5/5 simply because mastering and authoring Blu-rays has gotten so much better since the dawn of the format. However, the new master used for the 4K UHD is definitely one to please and dazzle, as it is LIGHT YEARS better than the 2010 disc. There is a sort of magic and appeal to 4K UHDs of black and white films, as the stark contrast of blacks and white levels are just so appealing without colors. The blacks are just so utterly gorgeously deep and inky, showcasing every shade of gray and black along the way. Fine details abound ranging from the wisping of smoke from a cigar, to the stitch marks on a tweed jacket. Facial tones and contrast appear to be spot on perfect neutral, and I have to say, this is an incredible looking film in 2160p, even though there are a few shots that have that softness you would expect form a 1940s shot film.








Audio:

The 2.0 Mono track in DTS-HD MA is not a port from the old Blu-ray, but rather a new restoration while still keeping the 2.0 Monorail track, and I can’t really complain about that. It wasn’t lossy like Cool Hand Luke, and there’s NO need of making some fancy upmix for a classic mono track in my personal opinion, so keeping the already excellent 2.0 Mono lossless mix is more than adequate for the UHD when combined with restoration work from the source material. By all accounts this is not a MASSIVE upgrade over the previous mix, but it is still appreciable. There are cleaner background noises, less harshness on the higher end of the vocal spectrum, and the persistent hiss from the old track nearly eliminated. I’d say this is simply a more fine tuned and tightened up version of the 2010 mix more than something that will blow you away, but the efforts are commendable and noticeable at the end of the day.







Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Eric Lax
• The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Brid
• Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart
• Make-up Tests
• Broadcasts
  • 2/8/43 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast
  • 9/20/43 Screen Guild Theater Broadcast
  • 7/3/46 Academy Award Theater Broadcast
• Trailers
  • 1936 "Satan Met a Lady"
  • 1941 "The Maltese Falcon"
  • "Sergeant York" Trailer
• "Warner Night at the Movies"
  • "New Highlights of the Roosevelt Churchill Parley" (newsreel)
  • "The Gay Parisian" (1941 WB short)
  • "Meet John Doughboy" (1941 WB cartoon)
  • Breakdowns of 1941 (WB short)

Final Score: ​

There’s not a ton of new extras from the nearly 15 year old Blu-ray, but the 4K UHD remaster does wonders for the film’s visual aesthetics. As I’ve said before, black and white films can be pure magic in the 4K UHD world, with the sharp black and white contrasts really showing massive benefits with the increased resolution and HDR application. This disc blows away the decade and a half (almost) old Blu-ray with the new transfer, and the iconic 2.0 Mono track is still preserved in lossless without any altering. Definitely worth checking out.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Lee Patrick, Barton MacLane
Directed by: John Huston
Written by: John Hustin, Dashiell Hammett
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono, German, Italian, Spanish (Latin), Spanish (Castilian) DD Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Dutch
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: NR
Runtime: 101 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 4th, 2023

Recommendation: Highly Reccomended

 

[JStewart]

As I’ve said before, black and white films can be pure magic in the 4K UHD world, with the sharp black and white contrasts really showing massive benefits with the increased resolution and HDR application.

You wouldn’t think so, but on the couple of black and white 4K discs I do have it’s absolutely true.
Only $23 and change on Amazon following your link. Ordered and looking forward to another classic at it‘s best.